#1 Roasted Banana Rum Cake

Yesterday marked the first day of my 30 day challenge!

I left for work yesterday morning at 7:00am, got off at 4:30pm, went straight to the high school for this year’s cheer team uniform fitting, and walked in the door to my house…at 7:48pm.  It’s day one and all I really want to do is sit down with some dinner and immerse myself in the Modern Family season finale.  But instead I’ll be making a roasted banana rum cake.  I’m excited, ready, and completely overwhelmed!  I’m certain these next 30 days are going to be incredibly busy, and many of you are going to be sick to death of getting sweets from me, but I’m also ready for a new challenge.  So tired or not, here goes!

1. Banana…yes please!

2. Rum…do you even have to ask?

3. Cake…heck yes.

What’s not to love about this?!

Roasted Banana Rum Cake

For the cake:

3 bananas

1 package white cake mix

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2/3 cup dark rum

2/3 cup water

2 eggs

For the glaze:

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/4 cup water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup white rum

• Preheat your oven to 400 and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Peel the bananas and cut them into one inch thick slices.  Spread the slices around evenly on the pan.

• Bake about 20 minutes, or until brown.  Let cool and lower the oven to 350.  Grease a bundt pan.
• Place bananas in a large bowl and mash them with a fork.  Add the cake mix, baking soda, rum, water, and eggs and mix until smooth.  Pour into the bundt pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• When the cake has about 10 minutes left to bake, start the glaze.  Start by putting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat to melt.  Add 1/4 cup water, and 1 1/2 cups sugar.  Stir together and bring to a gentle boil.  Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Turn the burner off and add the 3/4 cup rum.  Stir together and turn on the burner for about 30 seconds to give it a quick boil.  The mixture will be pretty thin, but syrupy.
• Once the cake is out of the oven, while still bottom side up, drizzle about 1/3 of the glaze over the cake, with the intent of getting the cake as moist as possible.  Drizzle it on slowly, letting it seep in, and allowing it to run down the sides of the cake as well.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes, giving it a good chance to completely soak in.  After 5 minutes invert the cake onto a cake plate.
• Next prick the cake all the way around the top and sides with a fork.  This is an important step to make sure that the glaze seeps into the cake really well.  Begin slowly drizzling the glaze all over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.  Some of this will end up pooling at the bottom of the cake, and that’s okay.  Allow the cake to cool to room temperature so it has plenty of time to soak up the rum glaze.
• Lastly…enjoy!

Here’s what I love about this cake…it is so stinking easy!  It uses a box cake mix, which normally I try not to do, but considering how exhausted I was when I got home, it was a welcome compromise.

Here’s what I hate about this cake…

To be fair, it’s not the cake that caused this catastrophe. I should have known better.  I have had problems with my bundt pan every time I’ve used it.  I own a stoneware bundt pan from Pampered Chef and I hate it.  My cakes always stick, no matter how well I grease it beforehand.  However, I’ve made many bundt cakes in my married life with normal metal bundt pans and they work excellent, so I have every reason to believe this heavenly smelling cake would have come out perfectly had I used a different pan.

Double sigh.  What a way to start!  Here’s to hoping this isn’t an indicator of the next 29 days for me.  Onward to day 2!